A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics

The title doesn't make sense to many of you, so I'll get that out of the way first. For an otherworldly entity, whether good or bad, to get trapped in the world we curse daily doesn't sound that pleasant, right? But it presents a realm of possibilities, and that's precisely what made ‘The Devil is a Part-Timer” a huge success back in the day. We have seen a few titles pull off this stunt over the years, but "A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics" piqued everyone's interest earlier this year, for better or worse. It depicts both sides of the coin, and their adjustment to the hustle and bustle of the Land of the Rising Sun sets the stage for a stunning performance.

But sadly, despite having the perfect recipe for success, the show falls flat soon after the first couple of episodes, which can be attributed to various reasons. Of course, we'll lay them down for you here today so you can decide whether it’s a show you want to get into. With that being said, let's have Sadao Maou from “The Devil is a Part-Timer” leave our heads for a second and dive into the newest reverse isekai in town, “A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics!”

Interesting Plot

This isn't the first time that we've seen a reverse isekai, as I mentioned earlier, but it indeed is the first time that we get to see two girls, an Imperial Princess, and a Knight, get paired with two sides that lie on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Sara da Odin, the magician princess, gets paired with Sousuke Kaburaya, while Livia de Udis, Sara's knight, ends up with a homeless man. The show tells us about their adventures, how their lives change, and how they adjust to life here in our world, in Japan, to be exact. Now, that sounds great, but the show tends to have a real pacing problem, and at times, it's apparent that it's just lost in the middle of nowhere.

For instance, one could see the Sara de Odin/detective pair bringing forth many unique cases and mysteries with magic, intertwining with the skills of deduction and problem-solving to get to the bottom of it all. Well, that doesn't happen almost at all since the show is too busy selling us what's happening on the other end, between Livia de Udis and the homeless man, since that's where the market is, right? In "A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics," the story begins in the Ofim Empire, where Princess Sara and her knight Livia use a portal to get to modern-day Gifu. The show's plot starts as a simple "fish out of water" story but quickly becomes more complicated, with several plots running simultaneously. The show particularly shines in its portrayal of Livia's misadventures, from her initial homelessness to her inadvertent involvement with Noa Minakami's cult. These episodes cleverly balance comedy with subtle social commentary, especially when Livia is entangled in various questionable enterprises, including a memorable stint as a Gunpla scalper. These narrative complexities, however, only partially compensate for the show's character balance issues.

For the most part, the show keeps exploring rather uninteresting stuff or characters that don't add to the story, making the viewer bored instantly. Not to mention that there isn't any spark or romance between the two sides for almost the entirety of the runtime; maybe there’s a bit at the very end, but that makes you question what they had in mind. Sara da Odin and the detective have far better chemistry, but the show doesn't capitalize on that. We want to see more from the two, but the show refuses to give us what we want. Plus, the 12-episode count only adds fuel to the fire since the show doesn't explore anything vital that adds to the story for the most part. Yes, a second season that focuses more on the Sara/detective duo or at least balances the screen time would be great. Still, I doubt that will happen anytime soon, given this season couldn't hit everyone's radar.

Characters not Getting Enough Screentime

As I mentioned earlier, the show tends to focus on Livia de Udis for the most part, which makes the other characters suffer a lot since we don't get to see a lot from them. The series features many characters; some are rather interesting, but we don't get to know them well, which takes away a lot of charm from this series. Not to mention that the show sells itself as a comedy anime with jokes and gags that are somewhat repetitive and become stale not long after, and with the majority of them coming from Livia de Udis, it is easy to see why people will dislike that character. Of course, I am not referring to the rather odd fanbase who enjoys this type of thing, the otherworldly cute girl who comes to save the homeless man and becomes her lover. You understand what I am saying.

I don't know where they're going with this, but I wish this weren't in the show. For example, imagine a timeline where we have “A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics,” but only with Sara da Odin and the detective. Despite the uneven screen time distribution, the series does craft some meaningful character arcs that warrant closer analysis. The character development takes unexpected turns throughout the series. Sara's journey from a displaced princess to an aspiring detective shows remarkable depth, though it often takes a backseat to other plotlines. Livia's character arc proves particularly fascinating, as she maintains her unwavering loyalty to Sara while inadvertently becoming a cult deity and eventually a musician. I can confidently say that this version of the show would've done much better since, in my opinion, both these characters, especially Mr. Detective right here, are much more exciting and have more depth. That certainly would've helped the show in the long run, but what can we do? It is what it is.

The series also sets itself apart by making the characters stay on Mother Earth rather than moving back and forth between the Earth and the place where they came from. This switch forces you to develop two different stories and worlds apart from each other, which only adds to the possibility of the show creating plot holes that remain unresolved even after the show ends. But sadly, even when “A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics” sets itself free from giving rise to these plot holes, it doesn't make the most of the setting it’s provided with, and that ends up being the biggest nail in the coffin that makes the show go down as a title that never really saw the life of day and probably won’t see it either.

Before discussing the animation quality, it is worth examining the broader production elements that shaped the show's identity. The animation production, handled jointly by SynergySP and Studio Comet, brings Gifu Prefecture to life with careful attention to detail. The show's director, Masafumi Sato, and character designer, Kazuhiro Fukuchi, created a unique visual style that perfectly captures the magical and everyday parts of the story. While these production decisions show promise, the animation's execution tells a different story.

Pretty Standard Animation

These different Isekai titles have almost the same animation. For instance, if you recall “Sasaki and Peeps” from Winter 2024, you'll see that the animation is the same or nearly similar to “A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics.” I'm not saying that's bad since the animation isn't anything abhorrent. But that's just something I've noticed, and I'm sure the newer Isekai titles would feature a similar animation style; let's just title it the “Isekai style” for now.

Anyway, the studios behind “A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics” are quite the two names, to be honest. By looking at its style, can you tell which animation studio created the show? It's almost impossible since the show is nothing like the ones we've seen from these two names. SynergySP and Studio Comet, the studios behind many big names with “Cross Game," the “Initial-D” remakes, and “School Rumble," to name a few, are pretty surprising. But I guess the show didn't have a lot of budget to begin with, and that explains why the show isn't up to the quality of the other titles that these studios have brought to the table in the past. The opening and ending themes are also okay; I prefer the opening sequence much more, and I’m sure you’ll have the same opinion.

The talented trio of Misaki Mase, Tsukumi Tanaka, and Bana Nakamura composed the soundtrack, which features an impressive 35-track collection that ranges from whimsical daily life themes to more dramatic pieces. The opening theme, "Gifu ni Teddo," by Wanuka, and the ending theme, "Konban no Kenka," by Meiyo Densetsu, ideally book each episode. The audio-visual presentation, while competent, represents just one layer of the show's ambitious goals.

Before reaching our final verdict, it's worth examining the deeper themes that A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics attempts to explore. Beyond its comedic exterior, the series explores deeper themes of cultural adaptation and found family. The show excels when it contrasts Sara's relatively privileged integration into Japanese society with Livia's more challenging path. These parallel experiences create a nuanced commentary on social acceptance and adaptation that elevates the series beyond typical reverse isekai tropes. These thematic elements, while intriguing, ultimately factor into our overall assessment of the series.

With isekai flooding the seasonal anime lineups for quite some years, newer shows are exploring the relatively unexplored “reverse isekai” setting, which we all welcome. On the other hand, "A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics" deals with everything at once before shifting its focus to something that is not the show's strongest suit. I think that kills much of its momentum and, down the road, makes you drop the series. As I said earlier, this show could’ve been made a lot better had the show followed a lot more on Sara da Odin and the detective, but that just didn’t happen. Let’s hope the second season is good. I haven’t checked out the light novel yet, so I don’t know what happens later in the story. You can check it out after watching the anime if that’s your cup of tea. For a rating, I’d give it 6.5. The anime suffers from many problems, and if they can work on them in the next season or so, we can truly bring it back for the most part. Let’s see how things go in the future!